Together
by Iggy - Essence of Angst
Summary: They were together. They were family, and that was enough. One-shot. (a "what if Naraku didn't exist" piece?)


**Together**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Inuyasha.

**Keep in mind that this fanfic does not take place at any certain time in the series. It does have the original characters, but the setting is a little more random. It's more like what would have happened if Naraku had not interfered in their lives, yet Sango still fell in love with Miroku. Yeah. Think of it that way. :nods: **

**This is for Dante-chan, the closest I will ever write to a "watching the clouds go by" fanfic. Ever.**

_**Fluff alert!**_

"Ane-ue!" A boy with brown eyes and black hair, and wearing a grey outfit oand a sickle tucked behind his back came running to the entrance of the village. An older woman wearing a black and pink battling outfit with a large boomerang in back of a group of exterminators turned to look at him, a slight smile on her face.

"What is it, Kohaku?"

"I just came to wish you luck," the boy said, a happy grin on his face. "Maybe one day I'll learn how to fight demons properly like you."

She reached out and ruffled his hair affectionately. "Don't be silly. Just because I'm a fighter doesn't mean you have to be," she told him, momentarily leaning down to give him a hug before she left.

Kohaku made a thoughtful sounding noise, then hurried off. He turned around, saying, "Oh, Ane-ue?"

She looked at her fellow taijiya, the group that she normally set out with when preparing to do battle with a particularly tough youkai. "Go on without me," she said, giving them a reassuring smile. "I'll catch up later. Yes, Kohaku?" she said, turning back to her sibling.

"Miroku-sama wants to talk to you," he said, observing the light blush that crept up her cheeks. He knew his sister had fallen in love with the monk a long time ago, that the monk would never leave her for anyone or anything else, but he respected their relationship enough not to bother her about it or talk about it whenever the other villagers were nearby, even though they already knew.

She nodded. "Thank you, Kohaku. Now get back to the hut," she scolded him playfully. Being the relatively shy person that she was, she never really wanted to be seen doing anything intimately suggestive with Miroku. Even Kohaku did not stay in the same room when Miroku and Sango were sharing a moment alone, and he was the closest person to Sango other than the monk.

Miroku came out of the medicinal hut and took his time walking up to her. She could tell that he was admiring her figure in the taijiya outfit, and she wanted to slap him for doing so, but she didn't.

"Houshi-sama," she began, putting her hands on her hips. She tried to look angry, but was unsuccessful. "What do you think you're looking at?"

He drew a mournful sigh, exaggerating the heartfelt passion he felt for her. "Sango, I could not help but admire your beauty."

"You mean, you couldn't help but think about ways to touch my ass," she remarked, but a smile tugged at her lips.

"That, too." He wrapped his arms around her waist and she leaned against him, her hands on his shoulders. "Sango, can I come with you this time?"

He sounded like such a little kid ready to tag along on an adventure that she had to laugh. "No, Houshi-sama. You have to watch over Kohaku, remember?"

"Ah, yes," he said. "You _can_ call me Miroku, you know," he reminded her.

She flushed, and stood on her tiptoes to whisper into his ear, "Not in public, _Miroku_." Then she stood back, smiling innocently at him. She turned to leave when he caught her wrist, the warmth from his fingers giving her reassurance and comfort before she left.

"Sango?"

"Yes, Houshi-sama?"

"Be careful, okay?" Although the words were said in a light manner, the expression on his face was more serious.

She nodded. "Aren't I always?"

* * *

The taijiyas returned later that evening, having been delayed by a horde of mysterious invisible youkai. Orange and red sunlight spilled onto the ground as the gate opened. Minutes before they came back, Miroku had been informed that their attacks were pure acid. Two of them slowly came in, their voices low and full of concern. Sango was being supported by them, one arm on each of their shoulders. Her leg was bleeding severely as was her arm. Other than stumbling while attempting to walk, she appeared to be okay, although her face was contorted in pain. Her Hiraikotsu was being carried by the men in back. 

He rushed over to her, Kohaku not far behind. "Sango!" He reached her and helped her walk away from the group, her arm securing itself on his shoulders so she could walk over to the medicinal hut.

"Ane-ue!" Kohaku called, running up to her. "Ane-ue, what happened?" He stayed near her side, feebly offering any possible comfort that could be done without trying to carry her.

She concentrated on blocking the pain from her mind, her teeth gritted against the pain that she felt when she placed the foot of her injured leg on the ground. "I'm fine. Stupid youkai - there were too many of them."

"Kohaku," Miroku said, trying not to sound annoyed with the boy. "Go and clean some cloths inside the hut. Also, could you please bring in a bucket of fresh lukewarm water?"

Kohaku nodded and hurried off to the hut where all the weapons were. Miroku helped Sango back to the hut.

"Didn't I tell you to be careful, Sango?" he said, but keeping his words light.

"I did," she told him, leaning a bit against his shoulder. "But like I said, there were a lot of them. One of them got behind me, and the result was… well, this."

He opened the flap of the medicinal hut and walked in with her, putting a supportive arm around her waist. She sat down on the tatami mat and he knelt down beside her. "We're going to have to bandage it up. How bad is it?"

She looked down at her leg. Some of the black material from her outfit had ripped, and she sighed. "It's okay." When he raised his eyebrow in doubt, she gave him a reassuring smile. "It's not as bad as it looks. I might have to keep off of it for a few hours after we clean up the blood, but other than that I'm fine."

He gave her a knowing smile. "Sango, why do you always have to act so tough about injuries? If you're in pain -" The monk was interrupted when Kohaku entered the hut.

"Here, Miroku-sama," he said, handing him the supplies.

"I'm not in pain," she retorted. He pressed a quick kiss to the corner of her mouth and she blushed.

"Quit protesting, alright? An injury is still an injury."

She went over to the tatami with his help and sat down. He sat down by her side and took her leg into his lap. Kohaku brought over the bucket and bandages and handed the monk some cloths to wipe away the blood. "Um, if you guys want me to leave -"

"That's alright," Sango said quickly, wincing in pain and clenching her fists into a bundle of cloth while Miroku gently wiped away the blood.

"Sorry," he said as she let out a hiss of pain. "Didn't mean to -"

"I'm fine, Houshi-sama," she said. She usually used his title whenever she was growing annoyed with him.

Kohaku inspected the injury, concern written all over his face. "It looks like a really nasty cut, Ane-ue," he commented, taking the bloodstained cloth that the monk handed him and holding it as if it were a dead rat.

"First him, now you. I'm _fine_." Although exasperation covered her voice, she sent a thank you smile in his direction.

Miroku finished cleaning up the blood, sending her a smile. "It doesn't look like there will be any infections," he said.

Kohaku unrolled the bandages and handed them to Miroku, who wrapped them around the taijiya's wound. "There," he said, sitting back and sending her that perverted grin he loved to wear. "It's too bad you got injured, I was thinking of some ideas that we could do later tonight, like -"

The younger sibling groaned, standing up. "I take it that this is my cue to leave, right?"

Sango shrugged, shifting over into Miroku's lap and leaning back against his chest. "You can if you want. It won't get too heated up in here, so you don't need to worry, Kohaku."

"You sure about that?" Miroku teased her. She turned slightly so she could lightly slap him across the head.

"Miroku! Don't give my brother any ideas!"

Kohaku raised his eyebrows, then picked up the pail and put the bandages away. "Uh, Ane-ue, it's a little too late for that. I've already _heard_ some of Miroku-sama's ideas during the late evenings."

"Kohaku, would you mind helping Chichi-ue tonight with supper? Tell him we'll be in there in a few minutes," she called after him, and she heard his affirmative answer just as the flap closed.

"Now that we're alone…" Miroku began.

"Is that all you ever think about Miroku?" she said, looking half-serious, half-content to be with him.

He bent down and captured her lips, giving her a sweet kiss. "Well, I can't help but think about those things when I live with such a beautiful woman," he explained after breaking off. She made a faint noise of disappointment.

"More flattery," she said, shaking her head, but her slight annoyance ended when he trailed little kisses down the side of her throat. "Well, now that Kohaku's not in the room…"

"Bad Sango," he teased lightly. "We do need to be ready for supper." As she wrapped her arms around his neck, his arms settled around her waist and any other sensible train of thought disappeared.

"Miroku," she breathed, and he dipped his head to kiss her. She pressed her body further against him to deepen the kiss. He complied, moving his tongue past her teeth to taste the inside of her mouth, and she moaned. He gently broke it, moving his lips downwards over her skin and causing her body to tremble at the sensations it made her feel. "Miroku… "

"I love you Sango," he whispered, holding her tighter and she rested her head on his shoulder, her face turned so she could breathe in his scent.

"I know… I…" Unable to tell him, she shifted back a bit to kiss his mouth, knowing that he would understand by the amount of emotion she put into this connection. Finally, she ended it, moving away from him, breathing faster than normal, her cheeks flushed. "We better stop… Chichi-ue will be calling us in for dinner soon."

She made to get up, but he seized her wrist and forced her to bend down to hear his lowered voice. "For now we will, but later…"

"Pervert."

The word may have been meant to insult him, but the smile that came with it told him otherwise.

* * *

Later that night after dinner, Kohaku asked his sister if he could talk alone with her for a few moments, without the influence of Miroku nearby. She blushed, but proceeded to follow her younger sibling out onto the porch. 

"What is it you wanted to talk about?" she asked, sitting down. He sat down next to her, not directly facing her.

"Your relationship with Miroku-sama."

She frowned slightly, not wanting to look at him. "If I've been ignoring you lately -"

"No, no," he said quickly, looking up at her. "It's not that. I know you really like Miroku-sama, and I'm happy that you're happy, but -"

"I do like him. He's… he's such a wonderful man. Well, except for when he acts perverted, that is," she added, her tone a bit sharper, but her expression remained relaxed and she put an arm around her brother's shoulders. "Kohaku, you know I love you, right?"

He grinned. "Yup. But… uh, if you ever decide to get married… Ane-ue, I was wondering," he said, the grin on his face fading as he started to make his words sound rushed. "Would you ever live somewhere else?"

"Kohaku… what are you asking me?" she asked.

"When - I mean _if_ - you decide to get married, you won't continue living here with me and Chichi-ue, will you." He looked away from her, his gaze sad yet understanding.

"Kohaku, I'll never stop loving you, if that's what you're worried about. You're my little brother, and even if I do head out sometime with - with Miroku, I'll still visit you," she assured him.

"But we won't be as close." He said the realization out loud.

Sango sighed and drew him closer against her, wanting to offer him as much comfort and reassurance as possible. "Kohaku… "

She paused for a moment, wondering what she could say that would alleviate his fears for the time being. "We won't be as close, but we'll always be brother and sister. Nothing can change that, and in time, you'll make other friends and you won't always want to be around me because you'll be growing up."

He didn't argue back this time.

* * *

Miroku came out not too long after their conversation ended, and he asked Sango if she would join him to talk about something. She agreed, sending a gentle smile at her brother, and he returned it as he headed back into their hut. 

They headed into the hut they shared and he sat down, looking uncharacteristically serious. She went over to her own tatami and lay down, staring up at the ceiling with her arms crossed behind her head. "What did you want to talk about?"

The words were just audible. "We've spent nearly a year and half together… and - well, I don't want to make you feel I'm forcing you to do anything, but I was wondering… " He took a deep breath and she looked over at him, the emotion in his voice gaining her attention. "Would you - would you consider marrying me?"

"Marriage?" she said, the word escaping her lips in almost a whisper. Slowly she sat back up, looking at him with wide eyes, feeling a mixture of shock and happiness build up. "You want - you want me to - "

"Sango," he said, taking her hand in his and fixing his gaze upon hers. "I've put a lot of thought about how I want to spend my future, and it occurred to me just how deeply I've fallen in love with you. I really care about you, and maybe later, after Kohaku has grown up a bit more, we could… bond together. I'm not saying you have to," he added quickly, as though afraid she would say what a bad idea it was, that she would never even think about something as nerve-wracking as that. "I just wanted to let you know how I feel."

At first, she could think of nothing to say. Truth be told, she wasn't exactly sure if he expected her to say anything.

"Miroku… I can't tell you anything just yet, but… " She paused and moved closer to him, looking at him directly and putting her hands on his shoulders. "I might consider it in the future… Kohaku and I have always been close as siblings, and I don't think he'd like it if I suddenly headed out." The monk nodded in understanding, and as she continued speaking, he could have sworn her eyes started to shine. "But after he's grown up a bit, like you said… I would want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you."

For a moment, he just stared at her, then he embraced her, hugging her so tightly that she might have even been in some pain, and she smiled, holding onto his waist tightly as they fell back onto the floor. She raised herself up just enough so that she could kiss him, and he responded eagerly, running his hands from her shoulder to her lower back area.

"Miroku." She let out a small gasp as his hands squeezed the lower areas on her body. He broke the kiss, letting his lips travel down the side of her neck as his hands pulled the material of her kimono off of her shoulder. "Wait," she breathed out, and he momentarily stopped as she glanced behind to look at the flap of the hut.

"What?"

"I'm just making sure no one's passing by," she answered. His reply was to pull her back down onto him. The heat in the room intensified as the clothes were discarded, and the only further sounds that could be heard were the sounds of two people moaning words of love as the passion increased.

* * *

The next day, during early afternoon, Kohaku asked the monk if he would improve his fighting techniques. Miroku agreed, looking at Sango and giving her a secretive smile, which Kohaku quickly interpreted, his face going slightly red at the thought, and he quickly excused himself saying he needed to use the bathroom. 

Sango went to get some lunch, spending some time with her father, and Miroku and Kohaku headed out to the training fields, Kirara accompanying them.

"I don't really want to become a fighter," Kohaku said as he stood in front of the poles that he was supposed to be targeting with the scythe. "At least, not like Ane-ue, but Chichi-ue thinks I should have some more battle experience, and since the other taijiya aren't heading out on a mission later this week, would you - um, would you mind -"

"No problem," Miroku said, ruffling the young boy's hair in an affectionate manner. He stood behind Kohaku. "Show me the way you hold the scythe."

"You know how to use it?" Kohaku asked, his eyes wide. "But I've only seen you practising with the sword with Ane-ue."

He grinned as he repeated the command. "True, I'm much more experienced with a staff and sword, but your sister has been watching your father train you for quite some time now, and she hasn't been the only one admiring your skills."

Kohaku's expression looked a bit gloomy at the mention of his father training him. "I don't really have all that much skill… " he said slowly, looking down at the scythe in his hand, a wistful expression coming over his face. "I mean, I used to watch Chichi-ue teach Ane-ue how to target her opponents when throwing the Hiraikotsu, and I remember thinking that no matter what I did, she would always be better than me. I don't want to compare myself to her, but I know I'll never master the skill that she has… and I won't be able to destroy youkai as quickly as she can."

Miroku took Kohaku's wrist in his right hand, standing partially behind him and fixing his grip on it. "Put your fingers along the middle of the handle, that way you will have full control of where it's going when you aim. Now throw it, and be careful that when you go to catch it that you don't stick your hand where the blade is returning."

Kohaku threw it, knocking the pot off the pole and waiting for it to complete its circulation as it returned to him. He caught, keeping his fingers away from the blade, but in doing so, only had half of a grip on it. The chain dragged on the ground.

"Good try," the monk encouraged him. "If you keep practicing that way, you'll improve even more."

"Thanks. I don't mean to complain or anything, but sometimes Chichi-ue makes me feel like I never work hard enough," he said quietly, looking disheartened.

Miroku put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. He just does that so you'll improve. But you're very good with the scythe already, Kohaku. I think your sister's proud of you as it is."

"Kohaku! Miroku-sama!" Sango called, running out to meet them. Both of them turned to look at her. "Kohaku, Chichi-ue wants you to eat some lunch. Miroku-sama, I - I want to talk to you for a second."

The boy looked at her, then at Miroku and smiled, then ran into the house, leaving the two alone. "What did you want to talk about?"

She took his hand and led him over into one of the fields and sat down, the grass tickling her toes. He sat behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back against him so she could relax. He rested his chin against her shoulder.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" he asked.

"You're distracting my thoughts," she grumbled playfully, moving forward a bit.

"Glad I do something to benefit the way you feel," he said, loosing his hold on her.

She giggled, then her tone grew a bit more serious. "I want to thank you for all those times you spent helping my brother train. I like the fact that he has another male to talk to about things, and not just an older sister."

"He looks up to you a lot," Miroku told her. She nodded, turning around to place a gentle kiss on his cheek.

"I know. I like that idea, but… "

"But what?"

She snuggled into him and he kissed the top of her head, keeping her in a warm, secure embrace. "One of these days he's going to grow up, and I'm going to head out with you. Soon he won't be 'worshipping' me, and I won't be thinking about him as often."

"That's a good thing, though. You shouldn't be too attached to home that, when the time comes, you can't bear to be separated from your family."

"But that won't happen for at least another few years," she told him, closing her eyes and laying her head on his chest. She could hear his heartbeat, and it was a comforting thing to have him so close, to know he would always be there for her throughout the years. "Besides… you're family as well."

A moment passed before he spoke. "Sango?"

"Hmmm?"

"I love you."

She tightened her grip just slightly around his waist, feeling his warmth surround her as she slowly drifted off into a peaceful doze. His presence was calming, and it never failed to make her feel safe and secure whenever she was with him. "I know…

… I love you, too."

A breeze lightly brushed over them, and they were content to sit there, relaxing in the warmth of the sunshine and hearing the distant sounds of happy people back in the main village area as the day passed by. They had each other, and that was all they wanted.

**Now, I may not be the "I love you" "I love you, too" type of person, nor do I think that I have the ability to keep the overall mood of the story smooth while adding those lines (as I believe that actions can have much more of an effect on a person than words), but I felt it needed to be done for this. Also, I didn't really know what to type down for a proper ending, and I felt that the one I chose could have been written in a better way, of course, but I'll leave that for you to decide. **

**I would really like to know what people thought of this. Any comments/criticisms are welcomed.**


End file.
